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MEDITATION ON OUR LORD'S PASSION: And He Prayed The Third Time, Saying The Selfsame Word

COECKE VAN AELST, Pieter

Agony in the Garden

1527-30

And he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word.Mt.xxvi.

Consider first that Christ runneth again to his Father, and craving still one and the same thing is not heard. This prayer comprehendeth the wonderful submission of Christ, yielding himself, and all that he had into the hands of his Father, taking it in no evil part, that he was not heard. Learn thou hereby not to be troubled in thy mind, when things succeed not according to thy desire, when thou hast done thy best endeavours.

Consider secondly the great necessity that Christ should suffer: For the eternal Father would never have suffered his son to have prayed so often unto him, if thy salvation might gotten by any other means.

Consider thirdly this manner of speaking (if it cannot pas, except I drink it) for he would be understood; that all the benefit of our Lord's passion should pass unto us, who are the members of his body, but as it were drawn through our mouth, that is through Christ, who is our head. Moreover as a potion is bitter & unsavoury to the taste, yet profitable for the members of the body: So the dolours of Christ were bitter unto him, and profitable unto us. And the passion of Christ passeth unto us, partly because his merit is communicated and imparted unto us, and partly because our tribulations & labors are sanctified. Therefore so often as thou shat suffer any adversity, so often do thou think, that thous dost participate with the passion of Christ. And pray him to mitigate thy miseries through his dolours, which he endured.